Junior Jumper Gyorffy Sydney-Bound

Tack another chapter onto junior track superstar Dora Gyorffy's storybook year.

The national high jump champion recently learned that she will compete for her native Hungary in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

Gyorffy, who captured the NCAA Division I Track and Field Championship in March, was notified of her probable selection to the team two weeks ago.

"I still have to remain healthy and stay in good shape in order to make it," Gyorffy said. "But this is very exciting for me."

Gyorffy's selection is the latest milestone in her prolific jumping career.

She captured the national title last month with a jump of 1.94 meters, 0.07 meters higher than the runner-up, Perdue's Carrie Long. In February, Gyorffy led the Crimson to its first Heptagonal Championship in a decade, tying an NCAA indoor record with a jump of 1.97 meters.

Gyorffy also displayed her versatility at Heps with a victory in the triple jump, leaping 12.74 meters. It was third straight year in which she won both events at the Ivy League meet.

Gyorffy had already established herself as one of the nation's best before this year's performance. As a sophomore, Gyorffy finished second at the indoor national championships and the prestigious Penn Relays. Her performance last year made Sydney a realistic possibility.

Back in December, Gyorffy had been contacted by a Hungarian National Team coach while at home for winter break. The coach informed her that if she was able to beat 1.94 at the NCAA championships, she would likely earn a spot on the Olympic team. A jump of 1.92 is regarded as the international standard.

In a fashion typical of the year she has had, Gyorffy went above and beyond what was needed. Her NCAA record-tying 1.97 leap virtually assured her of a spot on the team. Subsequent exchanges with the coaching staff in Hungary confirmed the news, and Gyorffy was ecstatic.

"When I first heard about making the Olympic team, I was really happy," Gyorffy said. "But after that I stopped and said to myself, 'Wow. I have so much work to do in the next few months.'"

A significant portion of Gyorffy's hectic pre-Olympic schedule will be continuing workouts and meets with the Harvard women's track team. She will be an active and vital component of the Crimson's success this spring, and plans on competing in at least four of the team's remaining meets.

In a move that speaks volumes about her dedication to the team, Gyorffy also will continue to compete in the triple jump in at least two of those contests.

"The high jump and triple jump are very similar events to train for," Gyorffy said. "I hope I can help the team in that category at Yale and at Heps."

Penn will host the outdoor Heps in mid-May. Gyorffy feels that the team will be able to garner a second Ivy League championship.

"That will be very important," Gyorffy said. "We had several goals as a team at the beginning of the year, and winning indoor Heps was one of them. Winning both would be very nice."

Gyorffy will have an opportunity to win a second national championship, this time outdoors at Duke University at the end of May.

After the spring semester, Gyorffy will compete in several international meets in Europe until mid-July. Following that, she will train with the Hungarian Olympic team until the games begin in mid-September. The women's Olympic high jump qualifying round will take place on September 28th.

Gyorffy's time with the Hungarian team will reunite her with several acquaintances from past international competitions.

"I don't really train with anyone, but I have competed against many of them before," Gyorffy said. "I'm friends with most of them, and it will be fun to see with them again."

Gyorffy credits the Crimson coaching staff with guiding her along the road to Sydney, particularly Harvard Coach Paul Turner.

"It's been working out really well," Gyorffy said. "To have improved over the past few years has been great, and Paul has been helping me a lot. The people here have been very helpful."

Gyorffy's own determination is unrivaled, and the results have propelled her onto the global stage. Her 1.97 jump in New Hampshire is tied for the third-highest jump in the world this year, according to the International Amateur Athletic Federation. Gyorffy's most formidable competition at the Olympics, Sweden's Kajsa Bergqvist, has twice reached the two-meter mark.

With all the hype that surrounds her accomplishments, Gyorffy's approach to jumping has remained simple.

"I try not to think about the Olympics or everyone else too much," she said. "I just try to think about the next workout, how I just jumped, things like that, and stay focused and disciplined."

It is this approach which, barring the unforeseen, will carry her to Sydney's new Olympic Stadium in September, and perhaps to the medal podium.